During the manufacture of various retroreflective articles such as signs and personal protection apparel, a surface of a retroreflective sheeting construction is often coated with an ink receptive coating that can be printed upon with ink. A water-borne urethane, commercially available from ICI Resins (or Zeneca Resins) Wilmington, Mass. under the trade designation “Neorez R-960” that has been combined with an aziridine cross-linker, also commercially available from ICI Resins, under the trade designation “CX-100” is a representative ink-receptive coating. This ink receptive coating is not stain resistance when contacted with highly plasticized polyvinyl chloride comprising fluorescent yellow dye.
In general, to enhance the durability and stain resistance of printed articles and articles, a protective cover film or top coat is often applied over the ink graphic. In order to contribute the desired properties, the protective cover film or top coat typically comprises a highly cross-linked polymer. An exemplary top coat is a polyurethane composition that is the reaction product of a hydroxy functional acrylic polymer, a polyester polyol, an aliphatic polyisocyanate, and a catalyst. This top coat, although flexible and stain resistant, is not print receptive.
Industry would find advantage in flexible compositions that are suitable for films and coatings that are printable and stain resistant, eliminating the need for an ink receptive coating in combination with a protective top coat or cover film.